Matthew Nath – Author

Last time, we focused on the parable of the prodigal son as told by Jesus in the Gospel according to Luke.  A very familiar parable that most of us have read or heard before.  (If you haven’t or want a refesher, read Luke chapter 15).  One thing I didn’t really appreciate until recently, however, is the third person in this story.  Most discussion and education I received about this parable tended to focus on the father and the rebellious son in this story, but they completely forget about his religious older brother.  What can we learn from his part of the story?

               We have a tendency to downplay our own sins, choosing to focus instead on the sins of others.  So when we read this parable, we focus on the rebellious son and his descent into sinfulness.  We see him waste his entire inheritance on things of this world; food, clothing, alcohol and drugs, women, etc.  He uses his money to try to buy respect and esteem in the eyes of the world.  And, while I’m sure it felt good in the moment, that kind of admiration does not last and holds no true value.  He learns this and returns home, humbled and repentant.  And his father greets him lovingly, a demonstration of how our Father, God, views us.  We are valued for who we are, not what we bring to God.

               The second son, however, serves as another kind of warning.  His reaction is not one of love and joy, but of jealousy and anger.  He doesn’t join in the feast and instead chooses to focus on revenge and justice.  He thinks that his brother shouldn’t be welcomed back but should have to earn his way back.  I’ve heard this brother called the religious brother, an example given to us of someone who has stayed close to the Father throughout their lives; similar, I’d imagine, to many of you reading this right now.

               You grew up in the church, spent your life working to do the will of God, dressed up for church on Sunday, went to a Christian school as a child, taught Sunday school, raised your children in the church; or some variation of those things.  And all of this is good to do, I’m certainly not saying it’s wrong.  What Jesus shows us to be wrong, however, is the attitude of the religious son. 

When he looks to his rebellious brother, he doesn’t see the pain and anguish that he endured trying to live a life separate from God. He doesn’t think about the humiliation, the repentance, the shame and guilt his rebellious brother has experienced. The religious son only sees the wasted resources, thinking how much better use he could have put it to.  He tells his father “…you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.”  He allows his jealousy and anger to control him.  And he ends the story outside of the feast, separate from his household, his family, and his father.

I’d like to think that he came to his senses and joined the party, but that’s not what we are given.  As far as we know, the religious son was never able to forgive his rebellious brother.  He allowed that desire for his own justice to separate him from the love of his Father.  I think this is a cautionary tale for a lot of us.  Because sometimes people’s rebellion from God leads them to some pretty strange and destructive places.  And it can be a temptation to look down on some of those decisions.  But so long as they return humble, seeking to truly know God and accepting Christ as their savior, we are called to treat them with hospitality and kindness.  And we have the privilege of showing them how big of a difference it makes to experience true, brotherly,  Christian love instead of the false love that is all to common in our world today.  And I think we should follow Christ; by that I mean, err on the side of forgiveness and trust the judgement to Him.